Chosen
by thegirlwholivesmanylives
Summary: Aislin had been having strange dreams since she was a child. There was one that was always the same. She experiences her own death. The key was a journal, the only object she could see in the dreams. Without warning, Aislin is plunged into a world she never believed in. No longer fighting just her personal demons, she learns the truth about herself and the world around her.
1. Chapter 1: Why Does Everything Go Wrong?

I couldn't explain what was happening anymore. These feelings never leave me alone. I can't control it. I can't control myself. I wished I'd never been born. None of the chaos would have happened. My family would be whole. They would have had normal lives, and maybe half of the horrific things that happened because of my existence wouldn't have happened. Nothing good followed me. Only one thing did. Death.

They began as dreams. As a kid I used to think it was a gift. I thought my ability to fall asleep and see something that would happen one day in front of my own eyes was a blessing from angels. I remember being in seventh grade and having a test in front of me. I knew every answer, but I hadn't studied whatsoever. I didn't usually do that, but the night before had been horrible. I had lost my childhood dog. I hadn't even glanced at a list of words I needed to know how to spell. Words I had never looked at before or used in conversation. Somehow, I knew everyone. After the test we graded each other's papers. The teacher grabbed her chalk and wrote every word on the blackboard. I realized I knew why I'd known the words. I had seen them before. Two nights before, I saw the words being written on the board in a dream.

It was just a cool thing that happened sometimes. I dreamt of things and they came true. It was a rare thing. It happened every few months. I never knew it was going to happen. Some dreams were nonsense, others ended up being real. How could I tell them apart? Well… for starters I knew my Phantom of the Opera dreams definitely weren't visions. I knew my chances of ever owning a Porsche Carrara were slim to none, so that had to have been a dream.

The dreams went from being harmless, to dreams of horrific things. When I was fifteen, I had a dream that my boyfriend got in a car accident. Not like any dream. I saw his eyes drift to his radio. Back to the road. Back to the radio, where they stayed just a little too long. I saw every detail of his death, heard every scream from the metal of the semi's front end crumpling the hood and front end of Braden's Civic. The airbag sensor had been clipped by the wreck. Without the airbag, his head continued with the momentum. His head smashed the steering wheel. I watched as his body was crushed by the semi's cab driving over the car. The same thing happened when my best friend committed suicide senior year and when my cousin was stabbed the death in a drug deal gone wrong my freshman year of undergrad. And then there was the dream.

The one dream I had over and over again. I couldn't see. I was cold. It was like the life was leaving my body. Something was holding me between the worlds. It was a voice. A man's voice, screaming out. I could never make out what he was saying or why he was saying it. As I opened my eyes in the dream I could only see something on the ground near me, a tattered leather bound journal. It had cards sticking out and the pages were worn. The book had fallen open to a page, and I felt like I needed to grab it. The book was too far out of my reach. I couldn't move. I couldn't breathe. I was dying.

"Miss?" a calm woman's voice asked.

I mentally shook myself. I glanced up from my drawing of the journal on the sketchbook in front of me. "I'm sorry…I get…so, uh…caught up in my drawings. What did you ask?" I answered.

The older woman with a neat bun, and a polite smile replied, "The library is about to close."

"Oh, sorry. I'll get my stuff."

She smiled and then walked back to the receptionist's desk.

I let out a sigh. I took one more look at the drawing of the journal. It never changed. I always draw the journal from the same angle, open to the same page. I couldn't read the letters with the angle the book laid in front of me. I closed the sketchbook and slid it into my backpack. I tossed my bag over my shoulder and headed to the door. The night was dark. Heat lightning crackled in the distant sky. I could feel the electricity. I pulled my hood over my head and walked in the direction of my dorm room.

I pulled my earbuds from my pocket and plugged them into my phone. With the buds in my ears and Led Zeppelin buzzing through my head, I made the rest of my walk back to my dorm building. I swiped my ID card at the door and opened the glass door. I swiped my card again in the elevator, and jammed the sixth floor button. The elevator jerked as it rose a few floors. The metal doors opened and I stepped onto the old blue carpet that covered the hall floor. I walked down the hall, glancing up at a flickering light. _Cheap ass university. We pay $40,000 a year to live in dorms that are never up kept, computers that have been on campus since 2003, and the slowest wifi I've ever experienced. It's still better than Michigan. Anything's better than- stop. Stop thinking about that_. I slid my key in the lock at my door and slammed it behind me. I flipped the lock back over and put my bag on the table. The flashing clock on the microwave said 11:34. I looked down at my watch, reading 9:13. _Probably another damn power surge_.

"Lindsay, I'm home," I shouted into the dark apartment. I flipped on the lights in the living room and dropped my tired body on the couch. I'd spent way too long in the cadaver lab this afternoon. I hated being around human corpses. I wasn't in med school to learn how to stand over dead bodies all day. I wanted to learn how to save lives. These people had been dead for years and should have been buried long ago. I just wanted to look at something else, anything other than another dead body.

I picked up the remote and started flipping through the channels. General Hospital, ER, Sex Sent Me to the ER… _Jesus Christ. Can I never escape?_ Lindsay probably still had my collection of Once Upon a Time. I was a few seasons behind at this point. "Hey, Linds? Do you still have my discs?"

Silence.

"Linds? Are you still awake?"

 _Oh great, she's been drinking with the frat boys again_.

I got up from the couch. "Lindsey, I swear to god if I have to clean up your vomit from the grout of my bathroom tiles one more time, I will-"

I froze. I'd smelled that smell way too many times in the past few weeks. I took a tense step toward her door. It was cracked open. I reached a hand out and pushed the door. The hinges screeched as the white panel door swung open. All I could see was blood dripping from bright pink fingernails hanging over the side of the bed. I resisted a scream. _I HAVE TO GET OUT. If there's a killer in my apartment I have to get out_. I turned and grabbed my bag from the table and sprinted down the hallway. I repeatedly smashed the down button on the elevator. _Come on come on come on!_ The lights in the hall started flickering again. _Oh god damn it, what the hell is going on?_

I ran to the stairs and shoved open the door. I took the stairs down two at a time and opened the emergency exit door from the stairs. I was immediately hit with large rain droplets. The rain soaked into my hair and my jacket as I sprinted down the back alley leading to the campus police office.

White hot pain coursed through the side of my head. Everything went black.


	2. Chapter 2: Eyes of a Different Kind

My head was screaming in pain. My clothes clung to my skin. I reached a heavy hand up to my head, feeling something sticky. I opened my eyes and looked at my fingertips, seeing the skin covered in a deep maroon substance. _Oh god, it's dried blood_. I touched the spot again and pain spread throughout my forehead. _Ah, god damn it. What the hell happened?_

I glanced around the dark space. _Oh my god. I'm in a cage._ I grabbed the metal bars in front of me. I shook them as hard as I could. No budge. This wasn't a dog cage; it was a hand welded thick barred cage. The thing was made out of the same kind of metal that you saw on medieval castle gates. The floor under the cage was dirt. The place smelled like mold and old straw. It was too dark for me to see what was around me. Just enough moonlight poured in from holes in the ceiling to make out what was right in front of me. It was completely silent. I'd never experienced quiet like this before. No crickets. No mice chewing the boards. The only sound I could hear was coming from my own pounding heart.

 _Am I going to die? Poor Lindsey. She's surely dead. There was so much blood._

I closed my eyes and placed my hands on the sides of my head. My head was burning. I couldn't help but let out a pained cry as my head continued to feel like it was about to implode. My vision was taken by an image. I could see Lindsey. She was lying in bed, watching Once Upon a Time. The sound of the front door closing echoed through her room.

"Aislin, you were totally right! Hook and Emma totally need to hook up or something, the tension is growing and they better start getting freaky or I'm gonna go nuts!" Lindsey called across the apartment. No response. "Okay…Well, I totally am craving some good pizza. I think I've got some money if you wanna go halfsies. Order me half veggie cause I don't want your carnivore specialty. You're gonna have some seriously clogged arteries from all that crap, girl." She glanced around the corner of the hall. "Aislin, are you listening or do you have your earbuds in?" No response. "Oh my god, you're gonna go deaf listening to that old dad music. Fine, I'll order but you better pay me back."

A dark shadow moved across the wall. Lindsey got up and walked to her bedroom door. Her expression froze and eyes widened as she took in the figure before her. I could see a pair of yellow eyes and a wicked smile. Lindsey started to scream, but the figure lunged forward and Lindsey was thrown across the room. Her body, like a ragdoll, smashed into the plain oak dresser behind her and was then dragged through the air onto her bed. A red patch began to grow on her abdomen. Blood was pouring out of her stomach. Her shaking hand reached to stop the gush, but it was useless. Her eyes bulged and her mouth was stuck in a seemingly perpetual scream. The man stared down at her body, such pleasure in his eyes as he watched the light leaving her eyes. He turned his back to her and disappeared into thin air.

I gasped for air. My chest was heaving and I was covered in a cold sweat. _What the hell was that? Did I just watch how Lindsey died, after she died? That's nothing like Braden's death, Amber's death, or Kennan's death. What is going on?_

A gust of cold air hit my skin. I could feel the goosebumps rising. I opened my eyes and screamed as I took in the same pair of yellow eyes I saw murder Lindsey.

"Oh god, what's with the screaming, darling? I'm only here to talk to you," the man cooed.

"What the hell do you want, you murderous psychopath?!" I screamed at him.

"More with the screaming!" he let out a sigh. "This isn't about what I want, this is about what I can offer you, that you want."

"What are you talking about?" I heaved. "You murdered my best friend!"

"She was…collateral damage."

"Collateral damage? You are a psychopath!" I spit.

He rolled his eyes, "Young girls, so dramatic. You're smarter than that Aislin. That's why I've brought you here. You're…special."

I glared at him.

"Now most women would enjoy a compliment like that. Your mother would have."

I could have screamed at him. I spoke through my teeth, "What the hell do you know about my mother?"

"I know I watched her die," he laughed.

I couldn't control my rage. "You sick son of a bitch what are you talking about?!"

"All in due time. We both know you have abilities Aislin, and I'm here to help you. You have no idea just how powerful you are, my child."

 _How does he know? Abilities? I have dreams of people dying, that's hardly an ability._

"But that's where you are wrong," he whispered as he squatted in front of the cage.

 _Did he just read my mind?_

"Yeah, I can do that," he laughed. "Don't act surprised. You're not the only one with abilities." He stood up and looked across the barn. "I'm sorry for the cramped quarters, it's purely a…precaution. You don't know this, but your abilities can reach farther than just that little dream thing. Much farther. I can help you control it, and help you understand it. I can even teach you some new tricks. All you have to do is agree."

"Why would I want any help from you?"

His face was right in front of the cage in less than half a second. "Because if you don't, then I'll kill you too. But not before killing everyone you've ever loved right in front of you. Then I'll murder you, slowly, painfully, so that you feel every last drop of blood drip from your body."

 _He's insane_.

"No I'm not insane. But I'm not human either."

I didn't understand what was going on. I had no idea what he was talking about or what he wanted. _This isn't real. This is one big nightmare_.

"Oh, you only wish, sweetheart. This is entirely real. You just don't understand everything that happens around you yet. You will…soon enough." He got up and walked to the center of the floor. He smiled and then disappeared again.

 _Oh my god, I've finally lost it. I've gone insane. I knew this would happen. I'm insane, I've finally gone over the edge. Dear God, save me now._

-.-.-.-.-.-.-

I cracked my eyes. Sunlight was shining through, and I could see my surroundings. I was in an old machinery barn. The walls were old wood, and a rusting tractor sat not too far from my cage. My legs and back ached from being curled all night. I had maybe three feet of space on each side. I looked down at my hands. They were covered in dried blood. I reached up to my head. I pulled off the bandana that I had used the afternoon I was attacked to tie back my long red hair. I held it in my hands, rubbing the pattern on the black fabric. This was Lindsey's. We used to borrow each other's clothes or accessories, even though she was the girly girl and I was kind of the grungy, hipster type. Lindsey had beautiful caramel colored skin and curly black hair. She was beautiful, stunningly beautiful. To think that she's gone forever…

The sun rose and fell three more times. My stomach hurt so badly, and I couldn't even keep my head up. My consciousness lasted only a few minutes at a time. My muscles ached so badly, and I could feel my slow heartbeat pumping in my chest. My eyelids were so heavy. _Death, please come for me._

The dust began to swirl in the center of the floor. A woman in a black dress with long blonde hair appeared. I kept to the back of the cage. She smiled.

"Hi Aislin," she said with the same smile.

"Who are you?" I asked, voice shaking.

"That depends," she said taking a step closer. "Would you be willing to make a deal?"

"What kind of deal?"

She took another step, "I could let you go, if you can tell me where someone is."

I glared at her, "Who?"

A black cloth appeared in her hand. She opened the side of the cloth, exposing a silver knife, but never touching it. My eyes grew wide. "Not for you, sweetheart. Not necessarily." She ran a finger over the side of the blade. It was beautifully crafted, with intricate designs on the handle. She reached into my cage and grabbed my wrist.

"NO PLEASE NO," I screamed.

The knife pushed into my wrist. I cried out in horrific pain. I saw a young man with black eyes, releasing a primal growl. He lunged forward and grabbed the neck of a young man with long shaggy brown hair. The air was pushed from his lungs as the black eyed man smiled, the same kind of twisted smile the yellow eyed man had when he murdered Lindsey. The knife pressed harder in my forearm. A hole appeared through the black eyed man's forehead. It looked like lightning bolts were surrounding his body. The strange man dropped to the ground. A man stepped forward from the shadows, a silver gun in his hand. The man with the gun was…beautiful. He had vibrant green eyes that were focused on the dead man's corpse. He nodded to the one with shaggy hair who was staring wide eyed in his direction. He smirked once.

A loud cracking noise forced me to open my eyes. My vision was hazy and blurred. The woman's eyes were completely black. They were the darkest think I'd ever seen, like the man's eyes in my vision. Like black holes that chilled me to my core. She released my bleeding wrist and turned to the door. Another loud crack shook through the barn. The door hinges rattled and I heard the sound of chains rattling together.

"Come on, you son of a bitch!" a male voice yelled.

The door fell in and light flooded the barn. Two figures came in the door, but my consciousness was fading. I heard the fire of a gun. The woman screamed out and began to fall. The same electrical cloud buzzed over her body as she fell. I couldn't hold on any longer. Black spots filled my visual field.

"Get her out! Now!"


	3. Chapter 3: The Truth

"It might be awhile. She had a head injury, but I don't know about this, Sam. I was just training to be an army assistant medic. She could be braindead for all I know. I bandaged her wrist and cleaned the wound on her head, but that's all I know. I'm sorry I can't help more," a young male voice said.

"That's okay, Collin. Thank you," another voice said. "I'm gonna be gone with Dean… it may for a few weeks, hunting another lead."

The first voice replied, "Another demon?"

The other voice laughed, "Yeah, we gotta round up the rest of them somehow."

"Be safe, man."

I heard footsteps out of the room. I was struggling to wake up, but I just couldn't get the strength.

I don't know how much time had passed between the night I found Lindsey and now. I had tried to get up multiple times, but was too weak to even open my eyes. At some point, I must have recovered enough. I found the strength to open my eyes. It was so bright. I couldn't help but groan. I tried to get up.

A steady hand pushed me back onto the bed. "Whoa, whoa, whoa. Take it easy. You've been hurt."

I groaned again as a deep pain sank into my wrist.

"Are you in pain?" the voice asked.

"Yes," I huffed.

I heard footsteps again, "Okay, hold on. Let me get you something."

I opened my eyes and took in the place around me. It looked like a long ago abandoned house. The wallpaper had peeled off the walls and a fine coat of dust covered everything. A young guy with buzzed blonde hair came back in. He had on an old black tee shirt and jeans. He was holding a white porcelain cup with white roses painted on the side.

He handed me the cup, "Here, drink this. It should help you."

My tired hands reached up and grabbed the cup. I took a sip of the warm amber liquid. It instantly calmed the burn in my throat. I took a few more sips and handed back the cup. "Thank you," I whispered.

The guy gave me a sympathetic smile, "I'm Collin. What's your name?"

"Aislin…Where am I?"

"We will explain everything in a bit. You really should rest, Aislin. You had a really bad head wound when they brought you in, and a bad cut on your wrist."

I looked down at my wrist to see a large, tight bandage around my wrist and hand. _That's definitely not proper wrapping._ "What did you use to dress my wrist?"

His face went red. "Uh…some hydrogen peroxide and gauze."

"Okay, do you have any iodine based surgical scrub and bandage?" I asked.

He looked flustered, "I think that's all I have. I don't- wait. Are you a nurse or something?"

I laughed, "Training to be an emergency surgeon."

"Boy, we could use you around here."

"What do you mean?" I asked. "Around where?"

"You'll find out soo- "

The door opened and another young man rushed in. His face was flushed. "Collin, Peter took a bullet. I don't know what to do. They are bringing him over, you've gotta help us."

I looked up, "I can help. I assisted in a gang related shooting victim bullet removal operation."

Collin looked concerned, "You aren't well enough."

I rolled my eyes, "It's not my dominant wrist. I don't feel any warnings of post concussive symptoms. If I feel bad, I will stop and I will tell you."

He looked uncertain, but there wasn't time to discuss it. Two boys, probably 15, came in the door carrying another boy. Collin helped them lay the other down on the only other bed in the room. "Where was he shot, Dustin?"

"Foot," one of the boys replied.

I carefully sat myself up. I looked over to see the men removing the kid's black combat boots. He cried out in pain. I rose slowly to my feet. My blood pressure balanced out after a moment and I moved forward to examine the kid's foot. I looked to his head and smiled, "What's your name, bud?"

"Peter," he whimpered.

"Okay, Peter, how did you get shot?" I asked.

Everyone around the boy scoffed or held back a laugh. Dustin looked at me, "He shot himself in the foot." His face was red. "He didn't have the safety on."

I was a little taken back but I looked at his foot, clean entry and exit. "Is the bullet in his sock?" I asked.

"It went through his boot," the unnamed one said. "It was on the ground. Rather…in the ground."

 _Well, at least I don't have to fish out a bullet_. "The biggest concern is nerve damage or shattered metatarsals or phalanges. That would require specialized surgery to fix. Can one of you get me some tweezers?" One of the boys went to the cabinet and retrieved an old pair of tweezers and some alcohol. He poured some alcohol over them and pulled out a lighter. _Jesus, if that's sterilization these boys are fucked_. It would have to do. I used the tweezers to pull back some skin and muscle to look for bone shards. I couldn't find any. It was a clean wound that somehow went right between the proximal bones of the phalanges. "I think you're gonna be fine, Peter. There's nothing that we can stitch or staple. You need to keep this clean and stay off it. It's going to take a few weeks to heal." I looked up to the cabinet. "Let me see what you guys have to clean this."

I went to the cabinets and all I could find was distilled water, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, some needles and thread, gauze, and some medical tape. _These poor guys need some help in emergency equipment shopping_. I sighed and grabbed the alcohol and distilled water.

I cleaned the wound as best as I could. They gave him a swig from a flask and he fell asleep pretty fast.

"You guys really need some better medical supplies," I said as sat on the edge of my bed.

Collin sighed, "I know we do. This is the best we could get."

"Just go to Walgreens and get some stuff," I laughed.

Collin's face was ashen.

"What?" I chuckled. "You look like you've seen a ghost."

He looked to the ground, "You really don't know what happened, do you?"

"My roommate was murdered, I was attacked and kidnapped, and now I'm here."

He looked back to the floor, "I think it's best if I take you to Bobby to explain. Come with me. Then, I'll take you to the room you can sleep in, since you seem to be okay."

 _I don't understand._ I followed him out of the building. _Is this an old western town or something?_ The buildings looked like something from another time. We walked down the main road, passing a few young men who were talking on the porches of the other buildings. They all looked like they had been through hell. All were young men, ranging from early teens to upper 20's. Their clothing was tattered and covered in dirt. He led me to a building with red siding. He opened the door and I stepped into a room with two couches. On one of them was an older man with a double barrel shotgun in his hands. He was cleaning the barrels out. He had a greying goatee and a baseball hat.

Collin closed the door behind us, "Hey, Bobby. This is Aislin. She was the one the boys rescued a few weeks ago, the- "

The older man looked fed up, "I know who the hell she is." He sighed. "I'm guessing it's time for her to know what's really happening." He set the gun on the couch. "Come sit down."

I walked forward and sat on the couch. Bobby took his same seat again. "What's going on?" I asked.

"Aislin, do you understand what happened that night?" he asked.

"The night that everything happened?"

He nodded.

I stared blankly at him.

"Sweetheart, your roommate wasn't just murdered. What attacked your friend was a demon."

"A demon?" _Was he fucking nuts_?

"I know it doesn't sound logical. But the thing that attacked you has a pattern of its actions. You probably don't believe in demons and all that, quote, bullshit, but it's all real."

I looked at him like he was nuts, "A pattern?"

"Your mother dying in a fire when you were an infant. Those around you that you loved dying horrific unexplainable deaths. I'd be willing to bet sometime around when you turned 22 you started having some weird shit happen to you. Weird things you couldn't explain that you could do."

"How do you know that?" I asked in horror.

He looked exhausted, "Because it's that yellow eyed demon's pattern. You aren't the first one this happened to, or the last."

My eyes bulged, "You know about his eyes?"

"We all do. That thing snatched you that night. He kept you for four or five days in a locked old farm shed in Nebraska. We'd been hunting that thing, and happened to come across you in the path. We brought you here. This is one of the few places you are safe from those demons."

"Demons?" I gulped.

"He's not the only one. We thought we destroyed him, but he came crawling back out with the rest. There are hundreds or thousands of those things crawling this earth, possessing everyone you love, playing tricks on your mind. Not too long ago, a gate to hell was opened and a bunch of those filthy creatures crawled out from the pits and started taking over everything and everyone."

"How am I safe here?" I asked.

"This is a dead zone in South Dakota. The boys cleared this old town a few months back, and we have been using it as base. You have every kind of protection in place that we know to keep them scum out."

"The boys? Protection?" _What the hell_.

"The boys who run this bunch. You'll meet them eventually. Our main idea is that we need to keep you safe and teach you to protect yourself from them. They'll be after you if he wanted you."

"Why?"

"You don't get it do you," he huffed. He leaned forward. "You have abilities. You are the first one in a long time that we've found like you. I don't know the works of it, but I know that you have some sort of ability that that demon wants to control or destroy. We are going to teach you how to protect yourself from these demons and make sure you don't die next time you take a step out of this protective little bubble we made."

I took a deep breath. This was too much to take in. I stood up and nodded to Collin. He nodded to Bobby. Collin opened the door and led me out to another building across the way. The building seemed a little nicer than the last two I'd been in, but not by much. He led me up to a bedroom with one other bed in it.

"You can rest here," he motioned. He pulled down an old sheet from the top of the closet. "Here, use that bed," he said pointing to the bed without sheets.

"Who's my roomie?" I joked.

He walked to the door, "I am, for now. When the boys get back you'll probably move to another house, but I'm in charge until they get back so I wanna make sure you're safe."

"Who are the boys?" I asked. _Seriously does no one call them anything other than the boys?_

"You'll meet them. Sam and Dean are the ones who founded this camp to train us. We learn how to fight demons and other creatures. They have been at it for years. They know more tricks than everyone else. This is the only place we are safe from the outer world and all the evils that are trying to kill us."

"Why are they after you?" I asked.

He looked like he was looking a million miles away. "A few years ago, I was in Iraq. We were hunting down a group of terrorists. A demon murdered fourteen of the men in my squad. Possessed our captain, and turned our man with the machine gun on our own men." He looked up, his eyes shining with tears. "My younger brother was in the group with me. He tried to stop him. The guy's eyes went completely black, and with a wave of his hand, my brother's head turned completely around right in front of me. I don't know how, but I got out. The guy who turned the gun on everyone ended up shooting himself after murdering everyone else."

"That's horrible," I whispered. "How did you meet Sam and Dean?"

"A bar. After the accident, the army discharged me a year early. They thought I would kill myself from grief. I spent a lot of nights getting so numb that I couldn't feel anything. Then, one night these two guys I've never seen come in to the bar and take a seat. I was only a drink in, but I heard them talking about the bartender. I thought at first they were gonna hurt her. She walked out the back door and they followed her. I followed them, thinking I would beat the shit out of them if they hurt that skinny young blonde. I came around the corner when Dean threw her into the wall. I ran forward, until I saw Sam throw holy water on her. Her eyes turned black. I knew whatever she was, that was what killed everyone, including my brother. The rest is history."

I couldn't look him in the eye. "I'm so sorry, Collin."

"It's okay. Sam and Dean found the thing that killed my brother…and I killed it."

 _Could I ever find the one who killed Lindsey? Did he really kill my mother? The world has turned upside down. At least I'm safe for now._

I glanced back at Collin and gave him a warm smile, "Thank you, Collin."

"No problem. I'll be downstairs if you need me."

He left the room, his footsteps creaking every stair.

 _It's better than nothing. At least I'm out of the cage. I'm safe from whatever it is that is hunting me…demon or human._


	4. Chapter 4: Training

My first night in the abandoned western town house didn't go as I planned. Collin turned in for the night and I spent another few hours blankly staring at the cracked and peeling ceiling. I couldn't get the images of whoever the black eyed man and woman were. _They are demons_. _Demons exist. All the stories grandma used to tell me about angels and demons…they are real. What other creatures was Collin talking about? Were all the fairytale monsters real?_

Eventually I fell asleep, but there was no rest. It had been months since I had had the dream, but this time (and I didn't think it was possible) it felt more real than ever before.

I could feel the lumps in the cold dirt under my back. The wind was blowing furiously, stinging my eyes as the debris hit my face. The muscles in my arm and hand were screaming with strain as I reached out to the leather journal, its pages flipping until they stopped at one page.

"It was a good try, Sammie. You really thought you could kill me with a silly spell and your little protection symbols…Not even that little demon sleaze's knife or the special little pea shooter daddy told you about that could kill everything."

I heard a man scream out in pain. I used every last bit of energy to drag myself closer to the journal.

"Your brother is dead, Sammie boy. And your special weapon is a shallow breath away from death. No one can save you now. Good bye, you sad little freak."

I was so close to the book, only millimeters. I couldn't make it. A white light flashed.

I jolted upright in bed. My chest was heaving.

A hand touched my shoulder. I recoiled, staring wide eyed at Collin. "Hey, are you okay?"

I shook my head. I took a few calming breaths, "Yeah." I sighed. "Sorry, just a bad dream."

Collin's face was full of concern, "Need to talk about it?"

"No, no," I laughed. "It was nothing. What time is it anyway?"

He glanced at his wristwatch, "About 10:30 in the morning."

"Well, I guess I should get up then."

Collin was already dressed in a pair of jeans and an old blue t shirt. "Well I was coming up here to wake you up anyway. I'm going to teach you how to defend yourself today."

"How do you fight demons?" I asked.

"That's what you're going to learn. I'm bringing you to boot camp today."

"Boot camp?"

Collin chuckled at me as we walked down the stairs, "Protection symbols, objects, weapons, plants."

"Collin, if demons are real, what else is real?" I pushed.

He laughed again as we reached the door, "You probably won't believe me. Hellhounds, witches, vampires, ghosts, and a lot of other weird old folklore from old cultures."

I followed him out of the town on a path that looked like it had been walked so much that it killed the grass on the path. We walked into the tree line and continued about an eighth of a mile until we reached a dirt circle shaped clearing. A mixed group of seven teens and young men were already there.

Collin stepped into the center of the clearing. He whistled once, "Ok guys, I'd like you to meet Aislin. She's a new recruit and new to all this, so don't give her too much shit. I want you guys to look out for her like she was any other member of your squad. So today I'm going to teach you guys the demon trap or devil's circle. It's very important that you guys draw it exactly right or it won't work. You also cannot break the lines or the demon could escape. This doesn't work on all demons though. Some are strong enough to find a way out, but not very many of them, maybe only a handful of them. Alright, everyone grab a stick. You can do this with spray paint or really anything but for now, just draw it in the dirt. I'm gonna draw one in the center. Copy it."

I broke a stick off a nearby oak tree. I walked up next to Collin and watched him draw a circle, a star inside it, and some weird symbols. I found an open spot in the clearing and drew the odd symbol about six feet around.

Collin walked around the area inspecting each circle, pointing out flaws or lines that should be straightened. He passed by mine and nodded once. He clapped his hands together, "Okay come here. This is a good trap. Straight lines, good circle, clean symbols, just remember the bigger the circle the larger the trap. The outermost line of the circle is the boundary line between you and the demon. Alright, once you trap the demon then you need to exorcise it, unless you're getting information. Information first, exorcizing second. So, I'm gonna show you guys how."

Collin pulled a can of spray paint from a bag in the center and drew another odd circle with a foreign symbol. He nodded to the bag and Dustin brought it to him. He removed a few candles and placed them in the circle. He lit them and then poured contents from a few vials into a bowl, placing it at the center.

A young boy with long blond hair spoke up, "How do you summon them?"

Collin laughed, "They have different ways. Some of them have specific rituals to summon them. Some can only appear on certain days, or places. The one I'm summoning is…a little different. A friend of a friend, you could say." He began chanting some incantation, that sounded like Latin. I recognized words from Latin Catholic mass as a child.

A young woman appeared, leaning against a tree. She smirked, "Collin. You're not my usual summoner." She was wearing a black leather jacket, ripped skinny jeans, and a pair of high heel leather boots. Her long blond hair rustled in the wind. "What can I do for you?"

Collin smiled back, "Guys, this is Kara. Kara was a friend of a demon who helped us in the past."

One of the boys ran forward with a crowbar, but was arm checked by Collin. He screamed out, "But she's a demon! You summoned her. We kill demons!"

Collin shoved him onto the ground. "We kill evil things. Kara isn't entirely evil, I guess." He walked forward, "Kara has helped us track down the demons who enjoy murdering and torturing innocent souls for the hell of it."

She smiled and turned to observe the group, "Such nice looking young…men you have- wait a second," she paused, eyes fixated on me. "And a girl." She stepped forward and smirked. "It's nice to finally see some estrogen in this sausage fest, that doesn't reek of gas station perfume and cigarettes. Name?"

"Aislin," I breathed in slight fear.

"You don't need to be afraid of me. I'm here to help," she said. She turned around and glared at Collin, "depending what you are asking."

"I'm trying to teach them trapping and exorcism," he said. "I summoned you to help demonstrate."

She glared at him and crossed her arms over her chest. "You brought me to be your pig to poke? Fuck off."

Collin dropped his head, "Come on, Kara. I know you want a new body the girl you're living in is way past her expiration. You know as soon as you leave that body it will drop dead and you can go infect a nicer, prettier body."

She thought it over for a moment. She pulled back the leather jacket, exposing a blood soaked white shirt. "True. Fine, demonstrate away. Take note, kiddies." She stepped into the circle I drew, holding her arms out with jazz hands. She walked to the opposite side, and it seemed as if she walked into a glass door. She recoiled and cracked her neck. "Oh no, I'm trapped."

Collin reached back into the bag. "Demons will hiss at the name of God, but only if said in the original Latin. Christus."

Kara's eyes turned black. She shook her head and the eyes went back to the normal blue color.

"Holy water burns them, and salt can keep them from crossing a doorway or a line. Silver also hurts them. You can kill their human bodies, but we like to send back the demon to hell and try to save the person. Demonstrating." He picked up the salt and made a circle within the devil's circle. "Kara," he said with a motion of his hand.

"My pleasure," she sneered. She stepped forward with the same reaction to the circle's outline.

He picked up a gallon jug of water with a rosary in the bottom. He poured it on her and she screamed in pain. Her eyes turned black again.

"You couldn't just put a few drops on me?!" she screamed.

He smiled, "Going for that dramatic effect." He winked once at her. He removed a silver knife from his belt. "Silver hurts like hell." He grabbed her hand and made a shallow cut on her arm.

She was screaming again. Blood dripping from her arm, she lashed out at Collin, hitting the salt line. "Collin! I will rip your lungs out from your ass!"

He laughed again. "And then to finish," he started, before speaking another chant in Latin.

A black cloud of smoke emerged from her mouth as she screamed in pain. The cloud swirled around the circle, before flying into the air. The blonde woman's body began pouring blood from the mouth, before dropping into a crumbled heap on the ground.

"You all need to learn that exorcism. There are a few types of exorcisms, but that is the best guaranteed one to remove a demon. Don't step out of this place without holy water, salt, and something silver. They are your best bet in the event you cross paths with anything demonic, spiritual, or any other fucked up creature from hell." Collin blew out the candles and returned the contents to the bag.

"Where did she go?" some kid asked.

Collin shrugged, "Not really sure, but she's not here. I didn't finish the exorcism entirely, she left the body first, otherwise I would have sent her to hell and would have had to climb back out somehow."

I heard a ringing noise. Collin reached into his pocket and pulled out a silver flip phone. He checked the outside screen and the opened the phone. "Hello?" His brow furrowed. "Are you sure? Did you ask Bobby?... I'm not with him, I'm outside with one of the squads." His gaze shifted to me, "Yeah, she is… Okay, I'll round everyone up. Bye." He let out a deep sigh. "Alright you guys. Hate to push you out of the nest but the guys need us."

"Aww yeah, a real fight!"

Collin's body stiffened and he turned his back to me, "You are not going to be fighting. Your job is to do as you're told. You've only been training a few months are not prepared to go out on your own with a demon army wanting to rip open every one of our throats."

 _A few months? How long does this take to learn?_

He turned to me and pulled me aside, "I'm gonna need your help," he whispered. We started walking back to the town. "Who knows how many of those boys are going to get injured in this mess. It's going to be bad and I have no idea how bad. Usually with exorcisms we have blood pouring from the mouth, burns, broken bones, god only knows the havoc that happens to those poor souls with a demon in them."

"Jesus," I huffed. "We have to get more supplies. I need real supplies. Not band aids and alcohol."

"I know. Laken is going to bring supplies to us."

"Laken?"

"Another hunter," Collin explained.

I looked at him, "A monster hunter?"

He nodded.

"Thanks," I said. "For everything."

"Okay guys, we have to get going," Collin hollered over his shoulder.

The boys began to follow a few paces behind us.

Collin closed the space between us as we walked, "I need you to understand, this is a very dangerous mission we are going on. These things we are joining the hunt on are some of the vilest demons you've ever imagined. You have a bounty on your head. We are going to keep you as far away from the fight as possible, but you also need to be prepared. I need to join Sam and Dean on the front line, but Laken is one of our best, he will stay with you. I will make sure that I have protection in place for you. You're riding with me."

As we approached the camp, we were led to a lot with a dozen old cars and trucks parked behind a building. Collin motioned to a Jeep. I opened the door and pulled myself into the old black leather seat. Collin got in the driver's seat and fired the engine. The vehicle roared to life, and we began our journey out of the camp.


	5. Chapter 5: Frontlines

The forest had overtaken the entire land around the camp. There wasn't a road to drive on. Collin drove between trees, and the other vehicles didn't follow us.

"Collin, how deep are we in the forest?" I asked.

He chuckled to himself, "That town has been abandoned since the gold rush era. No one ever cared to get back there. You might as well settle in. We have about an hour of driving through the South Dakota forest. No one, not even game hunters come out this way."

"I hope you at least have decent radio reception."

Collin passed me an ipod. "We don't get reception out there and everything runs on generators or solar panels. I hope you find something in there you can listen to."

I began to search through the music. It was all country music. "Is this your music? It's all old, outdated country. Not even the decent stuff."

"Oh come on, Garth Brooks is great," he retorted. "What's your taste, miss high and mighty music monger?"

I laughed, "Zeppelin, Fleetwood Mac, REO Speedwagon."

He rolled his eyes, "Oh great, another one."

"What do you mean another one?"

"You're like Dean." He reached out and took the ipod from me, "He's into that shit too."

I scoffed, "Excuse me, shit?"

"Yes, shit." Collin said. "At least make yourself useful. Grab the bag behind your seat. Get yourself a knife and gun."

"What?"

He looked at me for a moment, "Get a handgun and a knife. You might need them. Something comes at you, you shoot it. You can't shoot, stab."

I pulled a silver glock from the bag and a knife. I turned the gun over in my hands, feeling the weight.

Collin glanced up and down at me. "Have you ever shot a gun before?"

"Uh…no."

He grabbed the gun from me, pointing to a place on the gun, "Safety. Keep it on unless you think you need it. Then flip it, it won't fire unless the safety is off." He took it in his other hand and pulled back on the top of the gun, hearing a click. "It's locked and ready to fire now. This one isn't loaded right now. You'll need to load it." He popped it open, revealing a chamber. "It holds six bullets. You may want to grab a different one. These take longer to load, and if you decide to reload another one you can just load a new clip and drop the old one. But I think this one has a better aim. It's up to you."

I looked at the gun. "I think I'll use this one. You'll just have to teach me how to use it correctly."

He handed it back and we proceeded through the forest. Collin put on some old sing song, whiney country music. The trees blurred together, until we finally hit an old dirt road. The convoy lined up, and we followed the old road for god knows how many miles. The dirt road led to a long abandoned old pavement road. We were so far out from civilization; it basically blew my mind. I drifted off somewhere between corn fields.

When I opened my eyes again, the sun was setting. Collin passed me a granola bar. "You might want this. It's gonna be a long night."

I graciously accepted and peeled open the wrapper. "Where are we anyway?"

"Almost to Kansas City. Sam and Dean are staking out a group of demons. They have a warehouse with a bunch of them trapped inside."

"So where will I be?" I asked.

He sighed, "Here. You'll stay in the car with two other guys."

I was going to try to fight him, but figured there was no point. I decided to keep my mouth shut the rest of the ride. As we approached Kansas City, another truck pulled beside us. We fell behind them and followed them through the outskirts of the city. After pulling off the interstate, we found ourselves in a less than desirable area. The houses became more and more shanty. We were in a ghetto, but unlike the ones you see on tv, there wasn't a single person out. There wasn't a light in any house. It looked absolutely still. Collin pulled a gun from his side holster, checked the cartridge, and put it back.

"We're close," he murmured. "Listen, just stay put. Unless the car catches on fire, do not get out." He pulled the jeep into the lot next to a large industrial warehouse. The windows on the second story were mostly broken or missing. "Look under your seat."

Puzzled, I reached under the seat, feeling a round container. I pulled it into my lap. It was a salt container. "Are we stopping for french fries?"

"No. Remember, salt circles can keep a demon out. I'm going to make a circle around the jeep. There's holy water under there too, and an iron crowbar."

I nodded my head.

Collin took the gun off my lap. "Here, this gun is already loaded. You have seventeen rounds, so make them count." He switched the safety. "Loaded and ready to shoot."

"Thanks," I whispered. "Be careful."

He nodded and stepped out of the car. I watched as he made a salt circle around us. Two young men came and stood on either side of the vehicle, both carrying shotguns.

My eyes followed Collin and four other young men proceed to the left side of the complex and five others go to the right, all had their guns ready to fire at a moment's notice. As I watched them disappear into the shadows, my heart began to race. Every second seemed to drag on and on. I could hear each pulse of my beating heart. Each breath I struggled to pull in. It was so quiet…unnerving silent. That's when the barrier of silence was shattered, and my eardrums were pummeled with the sound of gunfire. My sweating palms gripped the metal of the gun in my lap, leaving my fingertips tingling. The blood pulsing through my veins was thumping in my neck. A cloud of black smoke shot out of the roof and spiraled into the sky. My eyes scanned over the warehouse, looking for any movement. Two men appeared in front of the jeep. My ears rang with the gun fire. A black eyed man appeared next to my window. I screamed as my door was ripped open. I closed my eyes and shot two rounds. It disappeared. I whipped around, not seeing either boy. I was trembling. I heard yelling. I looked out the open door, seeing the salt line was broken. Collin had taken the salt with him.

Frantically, I glanced over my shoulder into the bag in the back seat. Empty. I took the gun in my right hand and cautiously stepped onto the pavement. I looked down the side of the jeep. There were the soles of a pair of boots facing me. _Oh god, that kid._

I dropped to my knees and tried to reconnect the salt lines, but too much had been brushed away. I felt like something was behind me. I turned to see the man behind me again. I screamed and started to run, but I was thrown through the air, my shoulder slamming into the cracked concrete. I gasped in pain. I rolled onto my back and fired three more rounds. The man in the black suit showed his black eyes again. He furiously screamed, but lunged at me again. My left hand pulled the knife from my jacket pocket and plunged it through his sternum. Black smoke came pouring from his mouth. The body went limp and fell on top of me. I cried out and shoved the man from me.

I rolled back onto my stomach, pushing myself off the ground. I sprinted toward the left side of the building, spotting a door with a rusted yellow caution sign hanging from it. I grabbed the loose handle and flung the door open. My eyes were trying to adjust to the light, or lack thereof. The place was a storage warehouse, at least at some point. Three and four level industrial scaffolding held pallets of unknown product. Sneaking down the aisle, I stopped to examine a pallet wrapped in plastic. I used the knife to cut into the clear packaging. They were old cans of spray paint. I pulled one from the pallet and shook the can. The nozzle struggled to release its contents, but finally I got a stream of paint. I drew a circle around myself and the star. _God damn it, what were the symbols?_ I struggled to draw them from my memory.

Footsteps echoed in the large space. A shadow spread across the floor. Boisterous laughter filled the warehouse.

"Did you really think that some little kids could actually keep you safe? Or some bullet shells with salt in them? Oh no, sweetheart. It'll take a lot more than that. But it is your lucky day."

A figure stepped around the corner of the shelving.

"Now, dearie, how's about we have chat. You'll find I can be very…persuasive."

The voice was coming from a stout man in a black trench coat. As he stepped closer, I could see he had a scruffy face and short black hair.

"Name's Crowley."

I held a vial of holy water behind my back.

He stepped closer, examining the devil's trap at my feet. "A clever little trick, darling, but you haven't quite mastered your little artistry. That trap," he said pointing downward, "won't hold even the dumbest of demons."

I mentally recoiled.

"Also, I'd be willing to bet you have a bottle of holy water in your jacket and a silver blade on you. Those won't work so much on me. I'm here to talk, not fight. Rather, here to make a deal with you, sweetheart." He unbuttoned his cuffs.

"Why would I want to make a deal with you?"

He smirked, "Well, because it'll be the only deal you'll get." He moved closer, inspecting me.

I pulled out the holly water and threw it at him, bolting down the aisle.

He hissed. " _Really?_ " he shouted.

I darted around the corner, my heart almost stopping as he reappeared in front of me.

"Running is not an option. Now, would you like to civilly chat, or continue this cat and mouse game through an endless maze of my design?"

I took a hesitant step backwards, "What could you possibly want from me?"

He stepped to the side, "Actually you would be a very valuable bargaining chip. I could offer you complete safety from the demon who wants you dead."

"What do you mean bargaining chip?" I hissed.

"You're quite valuable."

"So I've heard."

"I like to…collect and protect precious valuables," he stated. "You will be free from harm, and I have another piece of a puzzle I've been assembling for a very long time."

"I'm perfectly safe already."

He laughed, "With Sam and Dean? Do you happen to know those boys have a history of failing people? They seem to be a magnet for awful deaths. I could tell you all about that, but the list is rather long and arduous. They let down everyone they know, yada yada yada, those people die in the end. So, instead of dying, you could actually…you know, live."

"Step away from the girl, Crowley," a masculine voice commanded.

Crowley wrinkled his face. "Ah, Dean Winchester. A pleasant surprise as always, I presume Sam is not far behind. I do believe you are under the impression that I will…what's the phrase…" come quietly". That's not going to happen, Dean." He turned his back to me.

"It sure in the hell is going to happen, Crowley," the man said.

"What are you going to do? Torture me, Dean?" he taunted.

"I might be tempted to pick up a blade again."

Crowley shook his head, "Always with the violence, you two."

The other voice chuckled, "It's not like I'll make a deal with you."

"Boy, do you not remember how persuasive I can be?" Crowley snapped his fingers.

My abdomen clenched and my throat swelled. I gasped in fear, but began to choke. My hands flew my mouth as a thick substance poured from my lips. Blood dripped into my open palms. The concrete floor and my knees made contact. My entire body crumpled.

"DAMN IT, CROWLEY. LEAVE HER OUT OF THIS."

"She's already in this," Crowley laughed. "Tick tock, son. Are we going to make a deal? Or will this end bloody?"

"It's already bloody," a new voice said. I glanced to my right, seeing a man with long hair throw something.

A flash of light made me clench my eyelids. When I opened them, the man named Crowley was gone.

The man with long hair sprinted toward me. "Don't worry, you'll be okay."

"We have to get her to Cass, Sam," the other voice said.

I was lifted by one of the men. I could feel my body bounce as the man holding me ran out of the building.

"CASS, YOUR GREATNESS, GET YOUR ASS DOWN HERE. WE COULD REALLY USE SOME OF THAT ANGEL MOJO RIGHT ABOUT NOW."

"Dean, the Impala?" one voice asked, the sound vibrating with each step.

"Of course, the Impala!" The man carrying me slowed. "Sam, you drive. Collin get the door!" Another set of hands steadied my body. "Careful! Careful! Easy, now. I've got no idea what Crowley did to her."

I began to cough again. I could taste the blood.

"Sam, give me that bag!"

"But I got that bag in Chicago at the-"

"THERE WILL BE NO BLOOD ON THE FLOOR OF BABY, SAM," one of them commanded.

I heard the jingle of metal and the ruffle of a canvas bag. I couldn't control it, I gagged again, feeling the blood pouring from my mouth.

"Okay, okay," a voice shushed. My hair was pulled back from my face. "Step on it, Sam."


End file.
